Rhule #1: The draft matters more now

[MHS831]

Since we are in the off season, I thought a bit of inspiration and optimism was in order.  Let's talk Rhule vs. Rivera and understand the difference. 

Rivera rode Cam's career as long as he could.  With a premiere MLB and marquis QB, a team (see, Seahawks, Seattle) a team should have a mini-dynasty.  While Seattle has had Russell and Wagner, they have won--year after year.  Carolina had Cam and Luke---mediocrity---how many winning seasons?  3?  Rivera played his veterans without considering tomorrow--win now, win at all costs. So he ran Cam when he was getting targeted.  When Cam went down, he started whipping CMC like the horse at the end of TRUE GRIT.    Rivera is no Pete Carroll.  After the first round, you get developmental players.  Whose job is it to develop those players?  Hurney's?  Of course not.  So what did Rivera do?  He played them when he had to and when they struggled, they went to his dog house.  Action Jackson, Ian Thomas,  Vernon Butler, and even Josh Norman--for example.  Last year, sensing his job was on the line, he went with veterans like  Irvin and  McCoy instead of developing his first rounders (Burns, Butler) on defense.  So when you do not develop the foundation, you rely on a few veterans.  That is great when they are healthy, but when the go down, the ship goes down. 

Rhule: the Temple years

Rhule has no experience in the NFL.  He went to Temple, where no high school player aspires to play.  His first year, the team beat Army and upset Memphis.  They lost 10 games.  Recruiting was a challenge; Rhule was basically left to sift through the dumpster after National Signing Day and see what he could salvage. The following year, Temple won 6 games and lost 6, including a blowout of SEC's Vanderbilt and #21 ranked East Carolina.  Rhule was coaching up the players.  In year three, Rhule opened the season with a 27-10 win over Penn State (his alma mater) and won the first 7 games on the schedule.  They finished 10-4.

Rhule: the Baylor years

In his coaching debut at Baylor, Rhule lost at home to Liberty.  They would win one game that season.  The next season, nearly identical to what he did at Temple, the team went 7-6, with 4 of his 6 losses to nationally-ranked teams.  The final season at Baylor, 2019, the Bears finished ranked #13 in the nation, with only 2 losses (both to #6 Oklahoma--by a field goal in one and a TD in another).  They would then lose to UGA in the Sugar Bowl. 

How Rhule does it

There is only 1 way that happened twice.  In year three, he was playing bigger, better schools with kids who were not given scholarships to bigger, better schools.  The players he had when they were incoming freshmen were inferior, at least in reputation.  Yet by the time they were Juniors, they were beating the kids that took their scholarships.  They were motivated, focused, and well-coached.  That is the ONLY way that happens.  Rhule and his staff knew what kind of players they wanted and sought those players.  Maybe they were not the best at that time, but he found players with the right attitude and the willingness to be great.  Developmental players? All of them were.  His signing day was not like Oklahoma's day--where 4 and 5 star players slapped Sooner hats on their heads and announced that they were taking their talents to Norman.  He inherited a terrible Temple program and one mired in controversy at Baylor.  Players with bright futures avoid those situations.  And Rhule won---in three years----twice.

Rhuling the draft

In college, Rhule did not have a draft to make sure things were fair, so this is an advantage for him in that regard.  But he survived and thrived by finding those gems that fell through the cracks; players with skill sets that did not match a position or system; players that were tweeners, coming off injury, etc. What did he see?  Players that wanted to be coached.  Players that were not as concerned with how good they are but how good they can become.  Give a player like that to a motivator like Rhule.  No, Rhule will not go after veterans in free agency to bury his talent.  He will be spending his time rummaging through the draft's dumpster.  He will find discarded pebbles and carve them into precious stones.  That is how he has been successful, and you do not deviate from what made you successful.

Here are 2 things I cannot wait to see:  How do we draft on day 3 (I hope Rhule has the loudest voice in the room) and what undrafted free agents he brings in.  You will see the beginning of what will blossom in the 2022 season--when the Panthers trot out its next Super Bowl squad.

Rhule's gift

So if day 2 and 3 are depressing for you, watch Rhule work the mines. He may not be an expert at any one thing--like quarterbacks or defense---but he knows how to surround himself and empower people that are experts.  Rhule's gift is not football as much as it is people--he can see in them what others have overlooked and he can motivate them to exceed expectations.  To me, those gifts are more important than NFL experience.  Knowing how to spot hidden talent and how to motivate coaches and players is more important than resting on your laurels from 1985. 

We will have a good draft from top to bottom if Rhule has a say in it.

 

[TheMostInterestingMan]

Every year I get so excited for the draft. And then every year I come here and just get annoyed as people complain about the players we pick.

For once I just pray people don’t hail or damn our picks before we have even started camp. I’m excited and even if we don’t draft the way I hope we do, I’ll still be excited. 

This is a new era. How we draft will tell us a lot about what it’s going to look like. 

[WarPanthers89]

Optimism has no place here on the Huddle. Please accept this ban as punishment for disregarding the unwritten rules.

 

On a serious note...I am excited to see how our team develops this year. I know it will not equal many wins, but we had playoff hopes last year and a majority vet team and that resulted in a whopping 5 wins with Rivera. It won’t be worse next year and at least we are switching it up in an attempt to build a contending team. 

 

[SetfreexX]

Just now, TheMostInterestingMan said:

Every year I get so excited for the draft. And then every year I come here and just get annoyed as people complain about the players we pick.

For once I just pray people don’t hail or damn our picks before we have even started camp. I’m excited and even if we don’t draft the way I hope we do, I’ll still be excited. 

This is a new era. How we draft will tell us a lot about what it’s going to look like. 

We draft another ''project'' in the 3rd round this will happen...(Gaulden / Grier - most recently)

In most cases I'm generally happy to just be at the draft again, as I do my research ONCE we make our selections, but those two picks were concerning who was left, and I'm not even talking about hindsight. 

[TheMostInterestingMan]

2 minutes ago, SetfreexX said:

We draft another ''project'' in the 3rd round this will happen...(Gaulden / Grier - most recently)

In most cases I'm generally happy to just be at the draft again, as I do my research ONCE we make our selections, but those two picks were concerning who was left, and I'm not even talking about hindsight. 

Can’t disagree at all there. The flip side. I remember people outraged that CMC had bust written all over him. “He’s too small, no break away speed, can’t run between the tackles” blah blah blah

I don’t agree with ever drafting a RB in round 1 honestly. But no matter who we pick, I just refuse to write him off until at least a season has played out

[FakePlasticTrees]

26 minutes ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

Can’t disagree at all there. The flip side. I remember people outraged that CMC had bust written all over him. “He’s too small, no break away speed, can’t run between the tackles” blah blah blah

I don’t agree with ever drafting a RB in round 1 honestly. But no matter who we pick, I just refuse to write him off until at least a season has played out

I agree that using a high draftpick on a RB is not wise. I would take that a step further. Allotting a large cap figure to the RB position is also not wise. The Panthers have a history of having too much of their cap tied to the RB position albeit not currently. Thus, it will be very interesting to see how the new regime treats the position given the heady accomplishments of Christian McCaffery and his likely desire for a new contract.

The Rams vastly overpaid Gurley to their great regret. The Cowboys did the same with Elliott and are probably already regretting it. Will the Panthers follow suit? Personally, I would gauge his trade value and pull the trigger for a reasonable price. I have no idea how the new Panthers' brain trust will view McCaffery, the RB position, and salary cap value. This is another of the great unknowns that will likely become known soon.

[bababoey]

Since last year the draft room is going to be filled by a lot of different people this year.  I mean if the Panthers draft room was a car, we not only have different tires, but a different transmission, different brakes, a new engine, different seats.  Hell it's an entirely different car.  Hurney and some of the scouts are all that remains from the draft room of 2019.  How are these guys going to value players?

Are they sport science guys where it is all about height, weight, speed and production is secondary?

Are they production is the most important and some of the height weight speed is secondary?

Most teams are somewhere in the middle but it you look at most drafts from teams they seem to lean to one side or the other.  Rhule seems to be more of a sports science guy, but does that mean he is going to draft a lot of "look's like Tarzan and plays like Jane" kind of guys and think he can fix them.  I hope not.

One way or the other this might be the most interesting draft in Panthers history.  Maybe not good, maybe not bad, but interesting none the less.

 

[Snake]

I would take this a bit farther and say Rhule will be great at finding free agents who have been cast away from teams with coaches like Rivera. He will take a guy who was struggling but hungry and get him to perform. Similar to how the Hawks and Pats approach FA. Finding a way to get guys to give that extra. 

[Malt Liquor]

A good example of what kind of coach Ron Rivera was. Do you remember when the Panthers let CJ Anderson go to the rams. Then weeks later he ran all over the cowboys in the playoffs? I just hope that Matt Rhule can get the best out of the ENTIRE team. And I think he really can. I'm excited about the new era of Carolina Panthers football....Keep Pounding!!!

[Navy_football]

I have no expectations. That way I can't be disappointed in September. It's come to that. 

[stbugs]

2 hours ago, TheMostInterestingMan said:

Can’t disagree at all there. The flip side. I remember people outraged that CMC had bust written all over him. “He’s too small, no break away speed, can’t run between the tackles” blah blah blah

I don’t agree with ever drafting a RB in round 1 honestly. But no matter who we pick, I just refuse to write him off until at least a season has played out

There was some of that but CMC is a bust was definitely a small contingent of loud people. The past two years there’s definitely been more questionable day 2 and overall draft strategy complaints. Little was discussed a bunch in the draft threads since tackle was a hot topic (and G/C for those of us realizing we were losing Norwell and Ryan back to back). After the combine, Little was almost universally panned by the draft watchers and to see him cost us two picks followed by Grier and a guy who was Burns-lite/Haynes meant that we got Burns (almost universally loved) and meh even with 5 top 115 picks.

If Marty has a good draft according to the pre-draft discussions, I won’t hesitate to laud him but his day 2 picks have killed us lately and we had 2 extra 3rds.

[Black&BlueBubba]

I am really interested in the UDFA’s Rhule brings in.  I bet 3-4 make the team.  

[bababoey]

12 minutes ago, Black&BlueBubba said:

I am really interested in the UDFA’s Rhule brings in.  I bet 3-4 make the team.  

If that many UDFA make this team, we really sucked at drafting and signing any free agents that could actually help this team.  And the whole tanking thing might happen whether we are planning it or not.

[MMA]

Jeudy or bust.